Folic acid linked to asthma risk in children
11 December 2008

Folic acid supplements taken by women during early pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma in their children, according to Norwegian research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Dr Siri Haberg and team looked at more than 32,000 children who were born between 2000 and 2005 and were all up to the age of 18 months. They also collected medical data from the mothers, such as their dietary habits and intake of supplements, including folic acid, at several points before and after the birth.

The researchers found that infants whose mums had taken folic acid supplements in the first three months of their pregnancy were slightly more likely to wheeze and/or have respiratory infections up to the age of 18 months.

These children were also 24% more likely to require admission to hospital as a result of their infection.

While previous research in mice has shown high levels of folic acid and other similar substances in early pregnancy has increased the risks of allergic asthma among the offspring, in humans folic acid supplements during pregnancy are recommended to reduce the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida.

Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK said: ‘The benefits for pregnant women taking folic acid far outweigh the possible risk of the baby developing childhood asthma and we would strongly advise pregnant women to continue following Government guidelines on this subject.’